


Visitation

by TyrantLizardKing



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Angst, Attempt at Humor, Drama, Drama & Romance, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, High School, Persona 5 Spoilers, Romance, shumako
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:46:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23082697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyrantLizardKing/pseuds/TyrantLizardKing
Summary: With Makoto feeling ill after school, Ren initiates a change of plans to have him sleep over at her place. But what will happen when Sae finds out?
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, shumako - Relationship
Comments: 10
Kudos: 147





	1. Chapter 1

Makoto pressed her back against the wall and sighed to herself. It had been a long day and he was late for their usual meetup. She ran a finger through her bangs in thought, pondering over recent events chronicled in her life. The boy whom she had once stalked and accused of crimes was now her mutual lover. _How did that happen?_ she wondered to herself. It seemed like just yesterday that she’d been informed by the staff of a transfer student entering Shujin Academy. Given the school’s current status, she only expected trouble from him, and thus prayed he wouldn’t make her final year a miserable one. Yet at first sight she became oddly smitten with this mysterious stranger. He wasn’t at all like the rumours had painted him out to be; Ren Amamiya was kind, calm, intelligent, and had assembled a group of tight-knit friends to enact secret justice. It was this last trait that had especially caught the attention of Makoto, which ultimately resulted in her joining his Phantom Thieves as their advisor and second-in-command. Yet she never expected to grow so close with Ren, going so far as to even ask him to fake his status as her boyfriend before proposing a real relationship.

And right now she wanted nothing more than to feel his warm embrace around her body. They’d only been together for a week now, but Makoto had never felt so happy in her life before. Today, however, she had developed a headache from recent stress, including the death of their principal and the mystery of the black Metaverse assailant. Was it childish of her, as an honours student soon to be entering college, to desire a break? 

Just then she heard a finger snap, causing her to look up at a familiar face.

“Hey, babe.”

Makoto felt her cheeks become a bit rosy. Ren’s face, with his glasses and tousled hair, was incredibly charming to her. Normally she was exceptional at maintaining her composure, especially around men, but with him? Her heart melted like a snowman in July.

“Good afternoon. How was your day?”

Ren scratched his head with bother. “Not very pleasant, I have to say. Ms. Chouno kept singling me out during class and Mr. Ushimaru dropped a surprise test on us.”

She laughed at this, which he found cute. “I guess both of us have had imperfect days then.” 

“Does that mean you feel better seeing me now, as I do seeing you?” Ren smiled with her.

“Yes, I do.” He reached out his hand to her, and she promptly leaned forward off of the wall...only to clumsily stumble forward into his arms. Her headache had caused her to lose her balance.

“Makoto!” His expression changed to one of worry as he cradled her in his arms. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I just...tripped.”

Ren’s face grimaced. “That didn’t look like a trip to me.”

Makoto sighed in disappointment, now rubbing her head. “I have a small headache.”

“How small are we talking here?”

“Ehmm...small enough that we can still visit Chinatown?” Makoto tried to exit his grasp, but found herself stumbling even more.

“I think Chinatown will have to wait another day.” Ren placed his hand across her forehead pensively. “Your forehead is warm Mako; I think you should go home.”

“What? No no, I’m fine, I promise you. I want us to be together today.” She felt lightheaded and a little selfish after saying that.

Faced with an abrupt change to their plans, her boyfriend thought to himself for a moment before dawning upon an idea with another finger snap. “I know what we can do.”

“Hm?”

He looked her in the eyes with glee. “Let me bring you home and take care of you. I can do my homework there, and even stay the night if I have Futaba bring my stuff over.” He beamed with confidence in his ingenious plan.

Makoto’s red irises lit up in suspense. Having Ren take care of her would be wonderful, but what about Sae? Wouldn’t she object to this boy suddenly showing up in their apartment, especially given his reputation?

“Well? Shall we go?” Ren already seemed to have made up his mind.

Makoto was silent for a few moments more. _Perhaps...perhaps Sis will pull another all-nighter, and we can have the apartment to ourselves._ Without more thought, she nodded, wrapped her arm around his, and leaned on his shoulder, both for stability and because she wanted them to be as close as possible. Along the way down and out of Shujin, they were spotted by their teammates: Ryuji, Ann, and Haru. Ryuji waved to them but didn’t yell anything upon noticing they were having a moment, something Ann congratulated him on.

\-------

“So this is the Niijima apartment?” He gazed in awe at the small but comfortable living space. A small, tidy kitchen was adorned with well-organized cabinets and a wooden table neatly furnished throughout. Their living room boasted a large, expensive widescreen surrounded by memorabilia including various plants, books, and family photos. Being an apartment complex, the windows contained a lovely view outwards to the city of Tokyo in all its modern glory, with a small balcony for those rare moments the Niijima pair could relax with a freshly-brewed coffee to take in the morning air. Everything was clean, organized, and sufficient enough for two people to comfortably live in.

Or, in tonight’s case, three people with a cat.

“Yes, we’ve lived here most of my life,” Makoto replied as she gently set her bag down on the table. Ren did the same, causing Morgana to pop out like a fish. They watched him gawk in awe at his surroundings for tonight, just as excited as his owner was about new scenery.

“Oooh, you have a window sill!” He made his way up and lay flat across it, basking in the sun as much as he could before it went down.

Makoto panicked a little at the cat hairs visible in the air. “Ah! Morgana, please be careful. If Sis notices this place is dusty with cat hair, she isn’t going to be happy.”

“I’ll try. I can go somewhere else if you’d like.” Last thing he wanted was to make things go south and have it gnaw at him later.

“No, no you’re good there for now.” Quickly, she was beginning to think that this perhaps wasn’t such a great idea after all. But then she couldn’t kick them out now either, so the girl swallowed her fears and told herself she’d have to make do. Just then, Makoto turned to see Ren over by the TV, admiring many of the framed photos. “Ren?”

He turned to her with one in his hand, pointing to a male adult. “Is this your father here?” The glass frames resting on his face twinkled in the sun rays.

“Um...yes, it is.” She winced a little at the sight of it. Despite eyeing that photo every single day, having the significance of it pointed out to her by someone else seemed to reopen her wound a bit. Yes, she had opened herself up to Ren about her father a lot, but it still pained her to recall his memory.

“He looks like a fine man. Wish I could have met him.” Ren almost seemed to be analyzing the photo as if he were Yusuke. His glance shifted up towards a rather uncomfortable-looking Makoto, upon which he realized his error. “Sorry, I’ll put this back.”

“Thank you.” Makoto’s eyes shifted downwards. “Er, Ren, could you please sit on the couch?”

“Sure.” He calmly placed his butt down, taking a moment to admire how much more relaxed he felt here compared to the one in his room. Makoto came over and sat next to him without saying a word, laying her head gently over his shoulder. He let her get comfortable before asking a question. “How are you feeling now? Sorry about the subway ride by the way, I didn’t account for it being rush hour.”

“I’m fine. I just want some peace and quiet right now.” Ren watched her slowly close her eyes and fall silent, with him now being unsure of what to say or do. So he pulled his phone out and scrolled through his messages. He declined meetup requests from Kawakami and Takemi, and then viewed a message from Futaba, asking for Makoto’s address so she could bring over his items for the night.

Ren paused momentarily to think about his response. Was Makoto okay with him sleeping over? She hadn’t really objected to the idea, and he would like the opportunity to get to know Sae more if possible. It should be okay for him to spend the night there, no?

After thinking some more, he settled on a decision and sent Futaba Makoto’s address, then glanced at the time. _5:26pm already, huh?_ He noticed the TV remote next to him and so turned it on, lowering the volume just enough so that it wouldn’t bother Makoto. Her quiet breaths told him that she was resting comfortably, finally grinning to himself that his idea was showing success. 

Ren’s eyes were not used to such a wide television screen. Surprised was he that there were more channels available here than back at Leblanc, for he had long since gathered the impression that the Niijimas seemed to rarely be home to enjoy them. Skipping past the children’s programming, he bit his lip at the sight of Goro Akechi conducting yet another television interview. The way he presented himself as a true harbinger of justice, even now when his popularity had begun dwindling, created an itch that Ren could not scratch. But right now it was pointless to seek a vendetta against the detective. He was comfortable with Makoto by his side; to ruin that would be quite foolish.

After about 30 minutes, he felt the girl rise back up and so held a hand to her head. She looked weary. “Feeling worse?”

“No…” She replied, sounding very deceptive.

Ren glanced at Morgana asleep on the windowsill, who was enjoying the late afternoon sun, then back to Makoto, who was rubbing her eyes. Thinking quickly, he slid one arm under her legs and the other behind her back, picking her up into a bridal position. The sudden shock snapped her out of grogginess and turned her face beet red.

“W-W-What are you doing?!” She exclaimed at him, feeling weightless in his arms.

“Taking you to get more rest.” Ren’s glasses hid his eyes as he walked up through the apartment and gently placed Makoto onto her bed, covered in Buchimaru-kun sheets. She looked far too embarrassed to say anything spiteful. 

“Get comfy, I’ll make you some tea.” He only paid minor attention to the massive bookshelf littered with awards and Buchimaru-kun merchandise that composed her room, mentally commenting on it all being utterly adorable.

“What? But I told you I’m fi-“

He cut her off with a wag of his finger. “No, you’re not. Don’t try to hide it, Mako. It’s okay to admit when you’re not feeling well, especially around someone like me.” Though he wanted to add more, he decided to withhold the extra sentence for now.

Makoto appeared to wince, but then realized he had a point. She was in no danger here and had nothing to prove to her boyfriend. “...you’re right.” He watched plainly as she lay down across her bed, her small form covering the topside nicely. “Um, can I have some green tea please?”

Ren winked at her. “Coming right up. By the way, nice room you have here.”

His girlfriend slid the sheets over her face in happy embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all, and welcome to my first Shumako fic. ^^ I'm looking for ways to get my stories out in the wild and make a bit of a name for myself, which is when I stumbled across Ao3. Lo and behold, an idea I had been handwriting before bed made its way here. I hope I can deliver a good story for people to enjoy, with more to come later on. 
> 
> Special thanks to Rookthief for editing this whole story.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Makoto asleep, Ren settles into the Niijima apartment further. Will a visit from Futaba end this early?

_Math. Why is it always math that gives me the most trouble?_ His pen bounced against his chin in deep thought; long division would kill him sooner than any Shadow could. Morgana had moved off the windowsill and was now sitting on the table where Ren was doing some homework issued by Ms. Usami. Makoto had been sound asleep for an hour now after receiving her tea. 

“Is Futaba coming by?” The cat inquired, looking at the door.

“She should be here any-” His voice was cut off by the sound of incredibly exaggerated knocking. “Speak of the devil.” Ren got up from the table and opened the door to a girl’s wide smile. “Hey Futaba. Er, what are you smiling about?” 

“Oh, nothing.” Her expression seemed to grow even more sly as she handed him a hockey bag full of clothes. “Just that it’s really cute you’re sleeping over at Makoto’s apartment already.”

He failed to see the significance in this. “So?”

“ _So_? This is something couples only do when they’ve been together for a while! You’re making big steps already, mister!” Excitedly she looked past him into the well-furnished Niijima apartment. “Ooooooh I wish I could come in!” Futaba took notice of Morgana inside, and pouted at her surrogate brother. “Why does he get to go in?”

“Because he’s my cat, and I trust him more.” 

“Pleeease can I stay for a bit? I’ll just sit on the couch and watch TV! Consider me practice for when you guys have a baby!” The short girl seemed ready to get down on her knees to beg.

“Baby?!” he exclaimed before catching his voice, “S-She and I have only been dating for a week!” 

“Oh come on, all the other guys told me you two had been awkward around each other ever since she kicked you off the roof.” Futaba was persistent in her probing. “You obviously experienced love at first sight. You big dorks!”

Ren’s hands found themselves onto his hips now. “Look, Sojiro wants you home before it gets too late. I don’t want him getting on our case for failing to keep that promise.”

“Aww, please?” Futaba had gotten down on one knee, as if she were proposing to him.

  
  
“No. Makoto’s asleep, and I don’t want you waking her up.” He made a waving motion with his free hand. “Get going before night falls.”

She made a puppy face, hoping to win over Ren, but gave in after seeing it had no effect on him. No matter; she turned on her heel to make an exit. “Alright. But if you guys get really cozy tonight-” she paused for dramatic effect, flashing him a toothed smile “-I want aaaall the details, you hear me?”

“W-What?!” He looked flabbergasted, disturbing images entering his head.

“Never mind. I’ll see you tomorrow!” She bowed and happily danced down the halls to the elevator.

Ren felt a bit confused but still found himself smiling. It was good to see Futaba so energetic and supportive, acting like the little sister he never had. Once he’d confirmed her departure, he laid his bag onto the table and sorted through the contents: pajamas, toothbrush, a phone charger, and two cans of tuna for Morgana.

“They packed it well.” The cat suddenly became mesmerized by his apparent dinner. “Tuna! Can I have some now?”

“Hold on,” Ren replied, without looking at him, “I need to know what Makoto and I will be having tonight.” He scoffed. “Sojiro didn’t pack any other food.”

“Guess you’ll have to use whatever they’ve got here, then. He probably felt confident enough in what he taught you.” Morgana turned to start looking through the kitchen cabinets, but Ren grabbed him by the tail.

“I want Makoto’s permission first before we go snooping through her kitchen.” He shook his head at the feline.

Morgana flashed a disapproving look at his owner. “Where was that caution when you asked about her family photo?”

Ren scowled but said nothing, his attention suddenly drawn to the creaking of a wooden floor and footsteps approaching them; Makoto had woken up. The girl had changed out of her school uniform and into her pajamas, still looking a bit tired. Ren felt a bit flustered to see the usually well-dressed Makoto now clad in Buchimaru-kun pajamas & slippers. 

She was, quite frankly, adorable.

“Oh, hey babe. Didn’t hear you get up.” Ren let go of Morgana’s tail before they made a scene and tried to act normal.

“Mmmh?” She rubbed her eyes and cleared her throat out. “I heard you say you wanted permission for something?”

“Huh? Oh yeah.” He pointed towards the kitchen cabinets with a smile. “I wanted to make dinner for us, if you’re okay with that.”

The thought of her boyfriend preparing dinner for them in her own home seemed to jostle Makoto out of her drowsiness. “Of...of course! Make whatever you like.” Her attention turned to the bag of items, as well as Morgana eyeing his tuna can, and now her understanding finally bubbled up from seeing the facts laid before her: “So, you _are_ staying the night.” 

“Yup.” Ren had already begun pulling ingredients out of every cabinet and drawer in a hurry. Makoto’s worry left her as she quietly watched with interest at the speed with which he was grabbing and sorting through what he needed. Mentally, she reminded herself that he’d been living with a restaurant owner for months now. 

“By the way,” he added, breaking her thoughts “I’ll sleep on the couch. Is ramen okay for you tonight?”

“Ramen will be fine.” She smiled before quickly doing a double-take. “Sleep on the couch?!” Her crimson eyes flashed in embarrassment at the new thought in her mind. “Um, wouldn’t you rather sleep somewhere else?”

“Somewhere else such as...?” Ren appeared to be juggling vegetables as he decided which ones would enter the pot. Morgana had hopped over to the couch so as to be out of his way.

“Ehm…” Makoto shifted her feet in nervousness, her whole body chilling and tensing up with the newest thoughts running through it. It had only been a week of dating, yet the question she was about to pose was coming up way earlier than she had expected. Still, she gulped and let it out: “Do you...want to sleep with me?”

Her boyfriend froze momentarily over the boiling hot stove. She felt just as embarrassed as he did when his face looked at hers in aghast. “Sleep...with you? In...your bed?” He had a slack-jawed expression as if Ryuji had just punched him. His ash hair was showing sweat, though neither of them knew if it was from the stove or embarrassment.

Makoto took a deep breath and placed a hand over her chest, before smiling at him. “Yes, with me. I’m feeling better now so you don’t have to worry about catching anything.” Ren only became more nervous at how confidently she had said that. “I’m sure there’s enough room for two people. I only have one pillow, but we can make it work.”

“Are you sure about this?” Ren regained his composure as he began cooking properly again. “I-I just worry that’s a little forward for us, especially this early in our relationship.” He was waiting for Morgana to jump in with sagely advice, only for his cat to be totally silent in something that wasn’t his business.

She turned away from him, seemingly glancing at the family photo he’d been examining earlier. “A lot has changed in my life lately.” Now she returned to make her eyes meet with his own, her head tilted slightly. “I’m certain you could say the same. And I, for one, want to continue embracing these changes...with you.” 

The boy scratched the back of his head and turned slowly, feeling his own face burning red for a change. Yes, she was completely serious about this.

A deep breath. 

“Alright, I’ll sleep with you tonight.” He brought his hands together, his palms warm from handling kitchen materials. They splayed out as he remembered something to exclaim. “Um, but...not like that!”

Ren stopped at the sight of Makoto giggling to herself. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I can see this will be as awkward for you as it is for me.”

“Well,” he closed the distance between them, gently stroking her face with a single hand “with you I always know I’ll be fine.”

“And I feel the same way about you.” Their eyes were locked, making the rest of the world irrelevant to them both. Perhaps now they could have their first major kiss...

“Guys!” Morgana yelled, breaking the moment. “The pot’s boiling!”

“Gah!” Ren made a sharp 180 and dashed over to manage their dinner before anything was burnt. “Sorry, I’m sorry!” He fanned himself and began grabbing cutlery for the table.

Makoto, even to her surprise, did not say anything, instead continuing to silently watch him at work. He was very meticulous in his duties, very quick at acquiring what he needed to finish the task before him.

She admired him. A lot.

“Ehm...did you need something else?” Ren asked, having noticed her consistent observation of him.

“Heh...no, it’s nothing. I’ll make my bed so it’s in good condition for the two of us tonight.” Makoto turned to head back up to her room, feeling oddly optimistic.

“Wait.”

“Eh?” She stopped and looked at him. “What’s wrong?”

“We forgot something.” He waved a ladle around without realizing it, yet it helped exaggerate his point anyways.

“And that would be…?” 

“Your sister’s still coming home. She called the apartment earlier."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this new chapter. I was really happy to see how the first one performed >v< and I hope this one was enjoyable as well. Next time...well, it's dinner time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sae is coming, and there's no getting out of it. As Makoto worries, Ren serves her a homemade dinner. Perhaps a fine meal will solve everything?

“Okay, from the top.”

“Mako, I don’t know if this will work.” His face pursed itself with worry.

“I just want to hear you say it in full.” She waved her hands as if conducting an orchestra.

He sighed. “Alright.” Rising from the table with paper in hand, he read it out to his audience of a girl and a cat. “Good afternoon, Ms. Niijima. I’m Makoto Niijima’s study partner, Akira Kurusu. It’s nice to meet you. Makoto has been a wonderful tutor for me this semester and...” He paused, scrunching his face further at the words before him that left a feeling of begrudgement.

“Why did you stop?” Makoto asked, almost looking disappointed.

“This...this…” he struggled to find the right words to describe the paper without getting nasty towards its writer “...this is ridiculous.” He placed it down on the table and checked on their dinner, which was just about ready to be served.

“But why?” She wouldn’t give up on it.

“Well, I know your sister’s a prosecutor.” Ren grabbed their food and placed it on the table before sitting down again and clearing his throat. “That tells me she knows how to detect lies, meaning-“ he grabbed the paper and pointed at it exaggeratedly “-she’ll see right through this manufactured speech in a heartbeat. Even this false ‘Akira Kurusu’ name will just make her more suspicious.”

“I have to agree with him.” Morgana chimed in, before smelling the fresh ramen. “Maybe if you save leftovers for her she won’t mind?”

“What if we just…” Makoto glanced around her condo “...hide you under my couch? O-or in my room, underneath the bed? Sis usually spends the night in her own room, since she doesn’t eat at home anymore.”

Ren shook his head. “No, I don’t want to do that either. I think…” he motioned for her to start eating “...we should just be transparent with your sister about our relationship.”

“What? No, no, I don’t think we should do this so soon.” Makoto shook her head in disagreement.

“Why not? She’ll find out sooner or later. Heck, Sojiro already knows.”

“H-He does?”

“Mmhm, I think Futaba told him before I got a chance to do so myself.”

Makoto turned away to think, and stayed that way for several minutes. Ren and Morgana continued to eat; neither of them were stressed about Sae’s eventual return. The former knew she’d likely recognize him from her visits to Leblanc, while the latter was just a cat in her eyes.

But Makoto was worried, and how. Would Sae throw Ren out at first sight? Or maybe forbid their relationship entirely? Maybe she would be wary of his criminal record and try to arrest him! And what about Morgana? Makoto had no idea if Sae was allergic to cats or not. Did Sae even like animals?

“Makoto.”

No response. She hadn’t touched her bowl of ramen at all.

“Makoto…”

Morgana was almost finished with his savory can of tuna, licking his furry muzzle in delight.

“Makoto!”

“Hm?” A casual glance from her, having not realized her own zone-out. Her boyfriend took a breath and shook his head.

“Can I say two things?” Ren held up two fingers to visualize.

“Alright.”

“One: everything will be fine, so don’t stress about it for my sake. Please.”

“O-Okay...and the other?”

He pointed towards her plate. “Your food will get cold if you don’t touch it.”

“O-Oh! Um, sorry.” She felt bad for neglecting his cooking, and so started eating without saying more.

Ren watched with admiration. Despite his comments, he deeply appreciated how concerned she was about him being around Sae. He could tell that the girl enjoyed his cooking, and it seemed she was indeed feeling better for real this time. Ren hoped next time this occurred she would make him a dish too, though he had absolutely no idea when that would be.

Morgana, having polished off his tuna, stretched himself out and glanced around. “Will it be okay for me to be present when Sae comes back? Or should I go hide somewhere?”

“No,” Makoto interjected, “I want her to see you both together. I can’t imagine Sis’ reaction if she were to come across you unexpectedly, Morgana.” The girl found herself laughing a little. “She’d probably panic and chase you with a broom!”

The panicked look on Morgana’s small face was enough to get Ren to laugh too. 

“So that settles it, then? We’re going to be completely transparent about our relationship?” He clasped his fingers together in satisfaction.

“Well, yes, but…” Makoto glanced at the clock, seeing that it was 8:06pm now “...she won’t be home for a while longer. Is there anything you’d like to do in the meantime?”

Ren thought to himself. “Well I already did my homework while you were asleep. But I know you value your own study time, so I won’t force you if that’s what you want to do after dinner. You can work in your room, and I’ll just watch TV here until your sister arrives.”

“Mm,” the honours student objected, “I can do my studying before we go to sleep for the night.”

He leaned on the table. “Isn’t that what they call crunching?”

“No, it’s me trying to be respectful around my guest.” The girl brushed off his comment. 

“Are you sure?”

“I am, but now I have a question.”

“A question?” Morgana asked rhetorically.

Makoto straightened herself out and looked her lover right in the eyes. “Ren, you know I’m feeling better now.”

“Mmhm. But you’re still in your pajamas.” Barely a reaction from the boy.

“Er…” Morgana chuckled as Makoto took a moment to examine herself before regaining her composure. “Th-that’s not important.”

“So what is?”

“You’re still here, when you could have gone home with Futaba earlier.” Ren’s senses quickly became alerted to the fact that Makoto was interrogating him, like a prosecutor. “There wasn’t any reason for you to stay longer now that I’ve recovered.”

“...” Ren only felt confused at her statements. Was she _mad_ at him for staying over tonight after all this? 

“So why didn’t you leave?” Her arms were folded.

The Niijima condominium was quiet for a few moments, before Ren’s shoulders adjusted themselves in tandem with his reply. “I stayed for you.”

When Makoto did not reply back, only passing through a couple of emotions on her face, he continued.

“I’m not certain of why you brought this up, but it should be simple. Why did I stay? I stayed because I care about you, Makoto.”

Now Makoto found herself quiet and unable to respond, mentally flogging herself for questioning her boyfriend’s sincerity like this. “...I’m sorry. I just...”

“Don’t be.” Ren was incredibly relaxed right now. “I understand your caution.”

“You do?” Now this she found rather hard to believe. Charming he was, yes, and very studious, but he didn’t have the answers to everything...did he?

“Let me anecdote for a second: I understand that this is a new experience for you, that you haven’t felt close to someone like this before.” The young boy spoke as if reciting a speech from memory. “Right from when we first met, when you were still distant to the group and Ann & Ryuji told me about your reputation, I pieced together that you were…”

“What? What was I?” She was intrigued by how this conversation was unfolding.

He bit his lip, worried he might offend his girlfriend, but spoke his mind. “...socially awkward.”

“Oh…” Makoto glanced down at her now-empty bowl, which she had already drained the broth from. Without looking up again, she said “That’s not an inaccurate statement, I know many first-years called me ‘the robot’ behind my back all the time.”

Her ears caught the sound of Ren chuckling to himself, implying that was funny to him. “Are you laughing at me?”

“Quite the opposite, actually.” Her boyfriend simply smiled in her direction. “I found myself reminded of why I love you.”

“Oh boy.” Morgana had settled on the table during the conversation, enjoying what he was hearing. Compared to many other people, he actually liked being the third wheel.

“You’re going to have to explain that one to me.” She appeared annoyed with him and his calmness. 

“Well,” Ren’s palms splayed out as if he were conducting a seminar “I really admire how much of a hard worker you are. Between schoolwork, acting student council president, and contributing to our phantom thievery, it’s incredible to me that you’ve strengthened yourself like this. It inspired me to study harder just from hearing how well you’d been performing at Shujin.”

_Don’t blush, don’t blush, don’t blush…_

“And you’re a beautiful woman who’s been breaking out of her shell ever since she summoned a motorcycle in front of a mafia boss in June.” Ren looked happier than she’d seen him before. “You’re simply amazing, Makoto.”

_I’m blushing, I’m blushing, I’m blushing..._

“Heh, sorry, I didn’t mean to go on a tangent like that.” Now he brushed the back of his head with embarrassment, though he still looked quite happy. Taking another breath, he noticed Makoto’s face appearing tomato red in front of him. Seizing the opportunity, he added a “You’re adorable.” to his speech, watching the girl melt away in her chair and pat her cheeks furiously.

Makoto wanted to slap herself right now, feeling a sense of admiration that he was the only person able to spur these kinds of reactions out of her. She took a few breaths to regain her composure, Ren watching with a smile on his face.

The cat cleared his throat. “You guys should watch a movie or something.”

“Great idea!” Ren clapped his hands and rose from the table. “Just so long as we clean up first.”

“I’ll do that.” Makoto interjected. “You pick something out for us to view.”

“Oh, are you sure? I made a mess, so I should clean it up, no?”

“I am. I do this every night after all.” 

The boy nodded in acceptance, for there was no time to argue over work, even if Ren liked that about her too. “Where do you guys keep your movies?”

“Bottom left cabinet next to the TV.”

Ren motioned for the location of their films, but Makoto added something more.

“I’m sorry, I never thanked you for the meal.” She appeared quite magical to him, even in her childish pajamas. “It was lovely.”

“Ah, nah, it’s just a recipe Sojiro taught me.” Ren brazenly replied before opening the cabinet to begin searching.

“Well, I’d say he taught you well.”

———————————————

“Oooh, he’s loading the gun!” The cat sparked with excitement. “Who’s gonna shoot first?”

“I don’t know. His opponent’s hiding his own under the table.” Makoto thought aloud, making her usual thinking face.

“Shhhh!” Ren quieted them both, for they had been commentating frequently throughout the movie that he’d picked tonight. It was a wild west-style flick with sci-fi elements, one of Ren’s favourites from his previous life before the transfer. He felt more gutsy from watching it, becoming curious if a strong person like Makoto would feel the same. Her own love of yakuza movies seemed to be spurring her on throughout this one, while Morgana had sat through enough films with Ren already to find his appreciation for them.

It was dark outside by now, yet the city felt as alive as ever with lights abuzz across the horizon. Tokyo was not a place to sleep, even in the dead of night. It brought much enjoyment to their humble evening together, and both wished it could last forever.

_Bzzz bzzz._ Makoto heard her phone vibrating on the table in front of them. “Sorry, could you pause the movie for a moment?”

Ren complied as she unlocked the device and peered through new messages. “Oh no.” were the first words that exited her mouth afterwards.

“What is it?” he asked, already knowing the answer well enough.

“Sis will be home in-” she checked the time “-twenty minutes!”

“It’ll be okay.” Makoto felt a hand on her shoulder. “Promise me you won’t panic, Mako.”

“I...I promise.”

“Good.” He stretched his arm around so it was across her shoulders now, feeling her get comfortable next to him. “We can finish the movie in that time still, so just enjoy yourself for now.”

“Mmhm.” She felt warm next to him on her couch, growing more gleeful imagining how she’d be twice as comfortable when they snuggled together in bed tonight. While she noticed that Ren had been constantly correcting her throughout the day, it didn’t bring her much bother right now. Mentally she noted to be more prudent with her course of actions; after all, they did promise last week to be equals in their relationship. Makoto did not want to think about it right now, but she wished to consider what she could do for him after all he’d been doing for her tonight.

Before long enough, the film’s credits rolled onscreen as Ren yawned. No doubt he was tired after today, while Makoto had rested earlier. “What time is it, Morgana?” he asked sleepily.

“10:26pm”, the cat answered after glancing at the nearest clock.

“We should get to bed.” Makoto stated, letting Ren remove his arm before they both rose from the couch, stretching themselves out.

“What time do you wake up in the morning?” He was curious about the fact.

“Around 6:00am, why?”

“Just want to make sure I know beforehand. I get up a little later than that, you see.”

Makoto shrugged in her pajamas. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem for you. Ren, you can go change in the bathroom first. I’ll wait here.”

_Click._

All three of them paused. That click was the sound of the main door opening. The moment of the evening was finally upon them, and they were not ready for it.

“I’m home, Makoto!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 at last! I think I keep saying this but I do hope I've managed to keep things interesting. Most of this story pretty much just came to me as I wrote it out, yet I'm happy to see people enjoying it so. This chapter was probably the fluffiest part of the story, which is perfect timing for what's coming next...
> 
> Side note: I hope my little joke over Joker's two major names in official media comes off the way I want it to (cheeky fun).


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero hour for Ren and Makoto: Sae has returned home to find her sister lounging with a boy. Will this end well for any of them?

Sweat from his palms seemed to be oozing onto his pants being grasped by them. His tousled hair felt like a weight on his head as his brain jostled to get a handle on things. He could see in the light that his glasses were dirty, yet right now there was no time to find a cloth to clean them off.

Things were not going well for Ren Amamiya at the moment.

Seated across from him was Makoto, looking distressed. He wanted to say something to her, anything, but could not muster the courage to project his voice outwards to be heard. Someone else was with them besides Morgana, who was hiding under the table in reluctance. 

A silver-haired woman in fine clothes placed one hand on the table and glared at the boy, who did not return the glance. To say she was cross would be an understatement.

“State your name to me, please.”

“Ren Amamiya.”

“And how long have you known my sister?”

“Since June at least.”

“‘At least?’”

“Well I saw her in the library studying as far back as April.” He probably shouldn’t have added that, judging by Makoto’s visible wince.

*sigh* “Fine. And how long have you been dating?”

“A week.”

“One week?”

“Yes. Just one.”

“So why are you here tonight?”

“Makoto was not feeling well after school, so I suggested we cancel our plans and return to her place where I could take care of her.”

“Is that true, Makoto?”

“Yes. All of it is.” The girl nodded.

“Hm. And the cat?” Sae pointed to Morgana cowering underneath her table.

“It’s mine.” Ren interjected. “I’ll clean the hairs out of your apartment if you’d like.”

“No, the caretakers will do that.”

Makoto couldn’t stand this, and leaned forward on her seat to address Sae. “Sis...can we talk?”

Sae turned slightly with a cold voice saying “We are talking.”

Her sister shook her head. “No, just the two of us. Without him.”

“Why?”

The younger Niijima’s eyes narrowed. “Because I know you’ll listen to me.”

Sae pondered over this for a moment before nodding towards her sister. “Very well. Mr. Amamiya, stay here while Makoto and I head upstairs. Don’t try to leave.”

“Y-yes, ma’am.”

“Ma’am?”

“Uh, I mean, yes Ms. Niijima.”

Sae rolled her eyes and walked toward the stairs, her heels clicking along the floor with each step. Makoto whispered an “I’m sorry” to Ren as she passed by him on her way up. 

Once he confirmed they were upstairs, he spoke quietly to Morgana. “She isn’t like that at Leblanc.”

“Not at all!” Morgana’s small head poked out from under the table as he trotted around the room. “I’ve never been to court before, but the way she’s interrogating you two sure feels like one. I’m not even sure she recognizes your face.”

“Yeah.” Ren held his head within his hands, feeling swallowed up in a sea of guilt. He didn’t want to admit it, but he could not deny the very apparent truth that his presence here tonight had made things unhealthy for Makoto’s personal life. Though she had not told him much about Sae, that didn’t change the fact that he knew she was worried about presenting their relationship to her too brazenly. In the silence of the Niijima apartment’s main floor he could plainly hear his own breaths, heavy with dread. It was 10:46pm now, just twenty minutes since Sae Niijima had returned to her apartment, unexpectedly finding her diligent younger sister lounging on the sofa with a boy. 

What did they think was going to happen? Of course a prosecutor who was heading up the investigation of the Phantom Thieves would be unhappy to return home and find a sight like this one. Moreover, they were at risk of Sae suspecting them for their true identities, which could lead to Ren and Makoto both being arrested. His mind did not wish to bear the weight of that outcome, shuddering to think of how that would shatter her faith in him.

_Strange,_ he thought to himself, _I expected to hear yelling from upstairs, but it’s oddly quiet. I hope she’s okay…_

Thinking that apparently cued off the voices of two women to begin altercation at a high volume upstairs. Morgana huddled underneath the table again, and Ren placed his arms on its surface so as to let his head rest. He almost wanted to cry out his guilt.

After another couple of minutes, the yelling upstairs came to a stop, upon which Ren blinked a few times, then let out a huff. Straightening out his back on the chair, he shook himself and clenched his fists. His experiences as a Phantom Thief, changing hearts of those much more villainous than him, had shaped his fortitude far beyond that of the average teenager. Now was no time for him to be wallowing in self-pity and misery, nor was it fair to Makoto. Equals. They vowed to be equals in this relationship, and by God he swore to keep that promise til’ death did they part.

While he didn’t wish to get up and make things look worse for himself in case they came back down now, he recognized that a show of confidence in him and his girlfriend would make for a greater negotiation than simply appearing afraid.

So he began concentrating on the things that made him happy. Closing his eyes and letting air flow through his lungs as calmly and clearly as possible, he put his mind to work. His friends, the coffee he brewed, the arcade, his doctor, the diner, his cat, the attic, his girlfriend...there was energy for him to channel here. In the new life he’d been granted after the transfer, he’d made incredible things blossom as a result of his current adventure. Phenomenal was one of the many words he could use to describe the experiences he’d had down here since April. 

Right now, the experience that demanded the most focus tonight was Makoto Nijima. What he said earlier was true; he’d felt an attraction towards her ever since the first day she shooed him away at the library, when she conquered the whole table for herself to be a study kingdom. And when she formally introduced herself to the then-small group of Phantom Thieves she’d been ordered to implicate before herding them off the rooftop, he felt something greater. On the day that she confronted him with recordings and threats to expose them to the police, he just wanted to apologize for this mess and ask her to dinner.

And when she’d unexpectedly awakened Johanna, saving him and the group from Kaneshiro’s trap, he knew that he loved her, desiring to be the one to break the shell encrusted around her heart and show her what it was like to be happy again.

Yes, Ren Amamiya loved Makoto Niijima. 

\------------------------------------

11:03pm. Morgana let out a quiet cat’s yawn, stretching his limbs outwards to try and contain his fatigue. His owner found himself stretching in tandem, writhing his neck around and cracking knuckles as a message to his body that he could not sleep yet. Still he thought about being able to crawl into a bed with Makoto and enjoying some small talk before passing out together. 

His ears picked up the sound of footsteps returning to his level. The Niijimas’ discussion upstairs had finally ended and his fate would be decided now. Goosebumps across his skin gave him the same sensation he’d had back when the judge had sentenced him to probation last year. 

To his surprise and slight discomfort, only Sae returned to his position. Even as Ren turned to look at her, her eyes were not meeting his own.

This wasn’t what he expected; he’d been counting on Makoto coming back down too so he could properly demonstrate his love to her. Instead the courage he’d been energizing within subsided as he sat in the shadow of this older woman. 

“...so what’s happening to me?” was all he could force out, with Sae giving no response. She appeared to instead be examining him in great detail, leaving him somewhat clueless.

Several moments later she spoke up. “You work at Leblanc, don’t you?”

“Y-yeah! I’m under the care of Sojiro Sakura. He told me you’re a regular in his shop.” The boy gritted his teeth, afraid of what might happen next.

Sae remained silent a few moments more, eyeing his posture and repeated attempts to smile genuinely. No, he hadn’t run away as she’d anticipated, even though the door was right there for him to leave this mess behind.

The boy felt rather clueless as to what was happening. Whatever talks had occurred upstairs seemed to have produced negative results between the sisters if Makoto was absent from his side now.

Finally, Sae gave an exaggerated breath, looked away from Ren, and broke the ice. “Go upstairs, she’s waiting for you. It’s too late for me to send you back to that old man.”

Ren merely nodded at this and walked past her stiff figure with Morgana trotting behind quickly. He was very anxious to see Makoto upstairs now, worried if she might unleash her aikido skills on him for ruining her evening like this.

Morgana wanted to say something, but he was no expert at romance. It was late and they all needed a good night’s sleep...if that was still possible.

——————————

Having grabbed his bag from downstairs, Ren made the wise decision to throw on his pajamas before checking on Makoto. The door to her room seemed to contain a few scratches and sticker remnants, suggesting it was adorned with decorative paper many years ago.

But tonight, it was blank.

Instead of boldly smashing the door open, he peered it open ever so slightly after he picked up a noise that worried him. Morgana peeked into the room with his owner, finding a sight he felt they were both expecting.

On her bed, Makoto sat on her knees, sniffling as she wiped her eyes with a tissue. Ren peered in a little further and noticed her trash can was almost full of them. 

The cat stood poised for them to charge in and make things right, yet was taken aback when the door closed again as Ren slumped himself against the wall.

“What are you doing?” He growled.

“Look at her.” Ren’s face was covered by one hand, the other hanging onto the doorframe to stop himself from slinking down to the floor entirely. “She’s crying because of me.”

“No, she’s not.” His cat shook its head, wagging his tail in frustration. He couldn't believe his owner was giving up this easily.

“I can’t go in there and face her.” The boy shivered. “She hates me.”

Morgana paused for a moment, letting Ren stifle out a few tears, before speaking up again. “Ren...have you considered the facts here?”

He opened one eye. “What facts?”

The feline jumped on the spot as he nearly shouted out his observation. “She’s not crying at you, she’s crying _for_ you.”

Now the other eye revealed itself. Morgana was right; all this time Ren had been worrying about himself, how Makoto would backlash him for forcing these events to happen. However, he hadn’t thought about the other possibilities- how she really was afraid of him being kicked out by Sae.

And that meant it was his duty to comfort her, to be at her side and tell her things would be alright. Morgana watched proudly as the young man rose to full height again, knocked on the door to announce he was coming in, and made his entrance. Makoto slowly turned to him, unable to find the right words for speaking. 

Through the lens in his fake glasses, the boy saw the girl’s weeping face, welled up in anguish after a happy night turning sour. For a moment, his mind danced over the idea of proclaiming a long speech about how they would always be together and he was undefeatable and so on and on.

But that wouldn’t cut it. Instead he carefully walked over, sat next to his girlfriend as she sniffled, and wrapped his arms around her with a loving embrace. Morgana curled up on the rug underneath the window, and all of them sat in silence for a time.

Once he felt assured that Makoto had calmed down, he patted her shoulder and suggested that they turn in for the night finally. She wanted to talk, but Ren held a hand up to sign that they were both fatigued and that it could wait till the next morning. Quietly, she agreed, but then grew anxious again as they huddled into her bed, under the same sheets and sharing one pillow.

Even with the lights out, the two of them remained awake (Morgana dozed off immediately after saying good night). Though Makoto had closed her curtains earlier, the hustle and bustle of downtown Tokyo paid it no mind, as the city was beautifully lit across the horizon for all to admire. Each skyscraper shone beautifully in the night of Earth’s dark hours, and the highways were cramped twice over with cars of all different models to admire and honk at. 

The silence between the usually talkative couple was appalling. Makoto could not remember the last time she’d shared a bed with anyone, as she always bunked alone on school trips because of her unpopularity. She had vague memories of sleeping with Sae when they were little girls, but that was a very long time ago.

For Ren, this was his first time in his life. Being an only child with cold parents and his own brand of unpopularity in his old town resulted in the boy spending many a night alone. The closest he’d had to such an experience was all those nights he’d had with Morgana’s furred form curled up on his mattress at Leblanc.

But tonight was different. Special, even. He had someone else resting with him, and she felt comfort in his presence. Ren wasn’t much for believing in luck, even after his visits to Chihaya, but with Makoto he felt very fortunate to have met her and grown as close in their relationship as they had. 

In the cold fall evening, their shared body heat left their bed warm. Both of their heads rested on the same pillow, adorned in Buchimaru-kun design much like the rest of Makoto’s apparel. And yet still something felt...off.

“Hey.” Ren broke the silence. “Are you comfortable?”

“Mmmh.” Was all she replied with.

“Um, why don’t you…” He bit his lip in the darkness, “...why don’t you come closer?”

Even without light he could see Makoto’s face become red with embarrassment, but was surprised when he felt her body turn on the mattress to be closer to him. Tonight, she needed his comfort.

Ren could feel how reluctant she was to be in bed with him, but the pair knew it was nothing serious. Which is why he felt even more surprised upon feeling her hand place itself on his chest, gently brushing his shirt to put him at ease. 

“Good night…” Makoto’s voice drifted off as her eyes finally closed.

“Heh, good night.” Ren planted a kiss on her forehead and placed one hand over hers. It had been a long day for them both, and they had earned a quiet rest.

For their first time in one bed together, the pair slept soundly that night.

Sae herself was also in bed by now, exhausted from her daily job and late returns to the apartment. Was she truly mad at Makoto for bringing her boyfriend over without telling? Or had she simply experienced a spur-of-the-moment reaction induced by stress?

Even as an accomplished prosecutor, she could not find the truth within herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *wipes sweat from forehead* Well there you have it. Originally I interpreted this scenario a bit differently, but I wanted the story to have more weight to it so I increased the strain between the Niijima sisters. I hope it delivered after all the buildup!
> 
> I want to thank all the readers who've been following along; simply can't believe this story that I started writing in bed one night has crossed 1k views already! From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the beginning of a new day for Ren Amamiya and Makoto Niijima. Will this be an event to remember or forget?

“...Ren...Ren…”

The cat felt himself rising up and down slightly, standing over his owner’s sleeping body. Both he and the girl next to him remained sound asleep. Over the night they had drifted apart, though their shared pillow meant their shoulders still made contact with one another.  
  


“Ren!”

Still nothing. Morgana scratched his nose with one paw, wondering why they weren’t awake at 6am as they promised to yesterday. Then his attention turned towards the small alarm clock above Makoto’s bed frame, and it dawned on him.

_Of course! With all that happened last night, Makoto must’ve forgotten to set her alarm for today. She didn’t even get to study, either..._

The feline couldn’t resist giggling to himself as he thought of what results would occur from him preemptively activating the alarm now. Ren was not one to have rude awakenings by himself, but with Makoto here that could change.

Standing on the wooden frame and reaching one paw outward, he smacked the alarm clock as hard as his little feline body would let him.

_BRRRRIIING! BRRRRIIING!_

“Muh...whah…” As expected, the girl rose first at the sound of her personal alarm. She blinked a few times and rubbed her hands around her face, through her hair, and across her body. Then she noticed Morgana standing next to her clock, letting her mind regain its cognition for today. “Oh, good morning Morgana. Thank you for hitting my alarm, I must’ve forgotten to set it last night.”

“I can see why you didn’t.” 

Both of their glares now turned towards Ren, who somehow had avoided even the alarm clock’s rattling and remained perfectly asleep. 

“Should I hit it again?” He asked the clock’s owner.

“Hmm, no, allow me.” Makoto placed one hand on Ren as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. 

Ren’s eyes came alive now as his subconscious realized what had just happened. Quickly he sat himself up, blinking and sniffing a few times to restart his senses for the day. Around him was a relaxed Morgana and a warmly smiling Makoto.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” She laughed at him.

“G-Good morning.” He was still trying to process where he was again, wondering why he hadn’t heard his phone alarm go off. Or why he was in a bed with his girlfriend at her apartment. Ren looked somewhat dumbfounded before everything came back to him. “Oh, crap!” He glanced at the alarm clock. “I slept in, didn’t I?”

“It’s okay, I did too. I forgot to set my alarm last night.” Makoto was oddly relaxed in spite of their missed window for waking up, when Ren knew her to be punctual and prudent with her scheduling. 

He said nothing as she rose from the bed and walked around to her window, opening the blinds up. As it was the fall season now, the sun had not risen just yet and thus it was still dark outside. She stood there for a few moments more, eyes closed with silent breathing in meditation. Then, she turned to her guests. “Alright, let’s get changed and then I’ll make us breakfast before we head to school.”

“I can make breakfast, if you’d like.” Ren proposed once he’d let go of his stunned expression and became fully awake.

“Thank you, but you already made me dinner last night. Let me return the favour.” She was very calm, looking much better than her decrypt state of the previous evening after her argument with Sae.

“Okay.” Ren hopped out of her bed, taking some time to stretch his muscles. Sharing one pillow in a small bed with someone else had been interesting, even if his body was telling him to do it at his place next time. He grabbed his glasses and unplugged his phone from the charger. Makoto had left her room to change before making her way to the kitchen to prepare food for the day. The boy scrolled through his unread text messages as Morgana peeked over his shoulder.

_“Did you sleep well?”_ from Futaba.

_“Mementos today?”_ from Ryuji.

_“I’ll be needing you tonight.”_ from Iwai.

Ren sighed to himself at the constant reminders of how busy his life was. Perhaps that’s another reason why he’d had the idea to stay the night with his girlfriend; he wanted a break.

“You should get changed.” Morgana’s meowing voice cut through his train of thought.

“Oh, right.” The boy hurried to throw on his Shujin uniform. As he got dressed, he pondered over what sort of conversation to have with Makoto during breakfast and on their way to school. He wanted to apologize for the conflict with Sae and letting things get dour yesterday, but he also wished to simply enjoy himself with her one last time in her apartment. So much thinking and planning to do...

Turning to Morgana, he popped an observation that the cat shared as well. “Makoto seems much happier now compared to last evening.”

“Given how sound asleep you both were, I think having you here overnight helped calm her down.” The cat seemed satisfied. 

Ren smiled as he buttoned up his Shujin blazer, but then lost the expression upon asking his companion another question. “Do you think her sister is still here?”

Morgana shook his head. “I was awake before both of you, and the condo was silent. Even now it still seems pretty quiet, so she must have left already.”

What a relief. Ren did not wish to be on bad terms with Sae Nijima, even knowing she was looking to discern their identities in the name of the law. Futaba and Sojiro were both supportive of his relationship with Makoto, so why was Sae seemingly hostile about it? 

The questions continued to stack up in the transfer student’s head as he made his way downstairs. Makoto, now out of her pajamas for the first time since yesterday afternoon and back in her signature Shujin uniform, was working in the kitchen. She had switched on her TV to show the morning news, which talked about today’s cloudy forecast and the ongoing scandal surrounding Kunikazu Okumura. The Phantom Thieves had already stolen his treasure during the previous week, and there were only a few days left before his change of heart was to occur, upon which they would get an answer for who was causing the mental shutdown cases around Tokyo.

But that was business for another day. It was Saturday, the last day of school before their Sunday break. 

From the stairs, Ren watched his girlfriend momentarily. What he was currently observing was likely Makoto’s day-to-day routine, having to wake up early and make breakfast for herself with no one to talk to, only leaving the television on to save herself from an eerily silent home. Perhaps that’s why she seemed to be in brighter spirits this morning despite her conflict with Sae; for the first time in many months, she had someone to spend her morning with.

“Oh, there you are!” She greeted Ren as he and Morgana came down to her level, setting the table for them. “I hope you don’t mind curry this morning. I’m afraid mine isn’t anywhere near as enjoyable as Boss’.”

Already she was apologizing for something by putting herself down. “That just means I’m looking forward to it even more. It’s always nice to try someone else’s cooking.” He shuffled over and seated himself at the already-set table as she laid plates down for both of them, along with the other tuna can for Morgana. She worked fast!

As Makoto seated herself, Ren turned to look at the news, which was now replaying a highlight reel of sorts of a speech from someone named Masayoshi Shido. The boy squinted his eyes at the sight of the man on screen, muttering to himself that he was disturbingly familiar.

“Something wrong?” Makoto noticed his tense face. Morgana had already begun lapping up his morning dish.

“It’s nothing.” He turned to face her before taking a bite of her curry. The boy’s face appeared to burst in apparent reaction at the taste.

Makoto perked up and closed one eye in suspense. “Is it okay? Did I add too many spices?”

“It’s fantastic!” Ren blurted out with satisfaction. “Mako, you need to stop underselling yourself. This curry tastes great.”

“Oh, I’m glad to hear that then.” 

Now there was comfortable silence between the couple, with the TV being the only major source of noise in the condo.

Ren polished off his dish, but instead of asking for more his hands found their way to his lap as he straightened out his posture to look at Makoto dead-on. “I need to apologize to you.”

“What?” He caught her off-guard.

“I can’t hold it in anymore.” A deep breath from Ren as he finally let it out: “I’m sorry.”

Makoto did not reply, only looking down at her food.

“I’m the reason you had a fight with your sister and why you wound up crying on your bed last night. I never should have forced myself into your home like I did yesterday. It wasn’t fair to you after what we promised to each other, and I apologize.” Sadness ran across his face, even as he felt relief for getting that off of his chest finally.

Makoto wiped her mouth with a napkin and placed her hands together before returning his gaze. Her voice found its way back to its classic, serious tone. “I accept your apology, even if I don’t believe that you should be giving me one in the first place.”

Ren perked up a bit. Was she serious about that statement?

Seeing his apparent disarray, the student council president continued. “Yes, I did have a fight with my sister last night over you. And while I don’t wish to speak in detail, that doesn’t mean it invalidates all that you did for me yesterday.”

Now Ren was thinking to himself a bit, unsure of what to say back.

“The truth is that I’m just...happy. I’m happy that you truly care so much about me that you’d risk conflict to be at my side when I’m unwell.” Makoto’s face appeared to be slightly pink as she smiled with comfort, causing Ren’s own face to turn red a little. 

Then she added something more. “And I really would rather be the one apologizing. I tried downplaying my illness in front of you because I didn’t want to look weak. When we vowed to be equals last week, I felt that meant that I needed to be as strong as you are.”

Ren gave her a sad smile. “I don’t think of myself as strong; I just act based on impulses to do what’s right in my mind.”

“But isn’t that still a form of strength?” was her reply back.

“I suppose you’re right.” He grabbed his glass of water, admiring the ripples of liquid nestled within. “To go back to your point, we all have our moments of weakness that sometimes can’t be helped. I just…” he lifted the glass off the table, hoisting it to chin level “...I saw that you weren’t well, and wanted to help while still making you happy. Because I love you.”

“Well,” she raised her own glass in tandem with his own as her cheeks turned a lovely pink, “you succeeded then, because I love you too.”

He went quiet again instead of doing the glass clink that she’d been expecting. “There’s still the matter of your sister though.”

“My sister will come around in time. There’s a lot going on in her life and change is difficult to process for everyone. Honestly, I think just seeing a boy in our apartment again reminded her of Dad and left her unhappy.”

She could see Ren wincing at the thought of making both Niijima sisters uncomfortable, but that was what she expected from him. A genuine reaction, not a brazen scoff. “If there’s anything you’ve taught me these past few months, it’s that we can achieve anything if we stick…” Makoto motioned her glass forward to Ren, who responded appropriately by clanking his against her own.

“...together.” He said, finishing off her sentence. And she was right, for they’d accomplished so much as students, as Phantom Thieves, and as a couple. Whatever hardships they faced, they could overcome them so long as they had each other.

“You guys are so fun to watch.” Morgana purred happily after finishing his tuna. “Back in April I never would’ve expected Ren to find love in you, Makoto.”

“Really?” She replied in astonishment.

Ren laughed. “If I could have asked you to dinner on that first day in the library, I would have brought you to the finest restaurant in Tokyo. I’ve loved you ever since then.”

“O-oh…” Always was Makoto finding herself flustered around this boy. It could be tiresome, but it told her that her heart was in the right place. “Well, I hope you deliver on that one day.”

“After we see Okumura’s change of heart, I promise you and I will visit the grandest diner we can find.” He shone brightly with that confident declaration.

“I look forward to it. Now,” she rose from the table, taking his plate and her own to the sink. “I made more curry for us both to take for lunch today. We need to leave for school soon, but I want to make sure the apartment’s clean before we go. I’m sorry, but do you mind dusting a bit?”

“You’ll make a great mother someday.”

“What?”

“Nothing. I’ll dust and wash the dishes, you go finish getting ready.”

“Thank you. Sorry to make you do this so early in the morning.”

“Don’t mention it.” He brought himself to his feet and grabbed the duster that was given to him, watching as she hurried upstairs to wash up. He did the duties he was told to happily, taking care to treat the furniture and dishes with ease. Morgana nodded in satisfaction at seeing Ren work diligently to clear the task laid out for him; the boy had progressed rapidly ever since their chance meeting in April. Now his proficiency and kindness were beyond admirable.

Finally Makoto returned to the bottom floor, gawking at a very-proud looking Ren who handily put the last clean dish away. 

“Hey, ready to go?”

“Yes, let’s hurry. I don’t want to be late.” The girl slipped her boots on as her boyfriend found his shoes. Morgana hopped into his bag, and Ren opened the door to let Makoto out first. Once she’d locked it from the outside, they took each other’s hand and proceeded towards the elevator.

Much of their future was yet to be decided. They had no idea where their relationship would take them, nor how long it would last. But one thing was certain: as a pair, as one, Ren Amamiya and Makoto Nijima could accomplish anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of Visitation. I dearly hope this conclusion was what you were looking for with this story of mine. Once again, thank you all for reading my first major publication on Ao3 and the support left by people here and in the ShuMako Central discord. Thanks again also to Rookthief for editing each chapter.
> 
> I don't have a PS4 so I didn't get Royal but for those of you that did, hope you are enjoying it. I'll see you for my next narrative soon.


End file.
